Kerala must learn from the North East

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While the football clubs from the State are groping in the dark, the country has found new champions in the North Eastern States as the teams from there have proved to be the best in the second division of the I League so far.

Exposure, skills and youth development are the fields in which Kerala lags while focus on the same has contributed to the growth of the football clubs from the States including, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Orissa and Mizoram.

The Kerala contingent for the second division consists of just three teams whereas last season it was five teams. Three teams, Chandni FC, Malabar United and Josco FC are not playing this season in the second division while the only additional team that is playing is Kozhiikode-based Quartz FC.

While the Kerala teams were losing emphatically, the clubs from these states were making strides in the group battling for the top position. “If we consider skills, they have improved a lot. Several young and energetic players have added value to the teams.

This is one of the main reasons, they are outplaying our clubs,” said Jo Paul Ancheri, the coach of Eagles FC, which is currently playing in the second division.

“Another problem is the lack of match exposure. A team from Kolkata or Assam is coming to the second division after playing their A division leagues.

This contributes a lot to experience to the players and subsequently they will be in a better position,” he said. Several players of our teams are also wooed by sevens tournaments and after playing there most of them will be unfit to play in the regular matches, he said.

The teams from North East States are also better at spotting foreign players, that is one of the major reasons of their wins. Most of the clubs have also youth teams and training programmes that ensure good bench strength, he explained.

Meanwhile, Kerala Football Association is trying to revive the state league, which was defunct for years. “From next season onwards, we will most probably have the state league. Until now, we were not able to conduct it but we have now understood the importance of the league,” said P. Anil, KFA secretary.

“Most of the clubs are free to participate in several all-India tournaments conducted in every state. So lack of tournaments is not a real excuse of the defeats,” he said.